Hi all,
Just 18 days to go until the Cheltenham Festival, and the excitement is building! I don’t know about you, but I’m getting pumped thinking about it. That said, we’ve got some solid weekends of racing before then, including this Saturday.
One thing worth noting—a major market mover in the Festival handicaps.
Is Kopeck De Mee a Cheltenham Festival Handicap Plot?
Spotting Festival plot horses is always key, and Kopeck De Mee could be one. Now owned by JP McManus and trained by Willie Mullins, he’s won his last three starts over hurdles in France, posting a career-best RPR of 119 in a Listed handicap hurdle last April.
French imports often get understated RPRs, so his true ability might be stronger than it looks. The money came on Wednesday, and he was quickly shortened to:
6/1 NRNB for the Coral Cup
7/1 NRNB for the County Hurdle
6/1 NRNB for the Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle
That support suggests he’s well-handicapped. Does it guarantee a win? Not at all. But if he’s a genuine‘JP plot’ horse, he’ll likely go off even shorter on the day. Only the owner knows which race he’s aimed at, but if I had to pick, I’d say Martin Pipe on Friday—a race Mullins has won with Galopin Des Champs (142) and Sir Des Champs (134).
Digging into the horseracebase, French imports making their stable debut in a Cheltenham handicap are 2-19 since 2010:
Diego Du Charmil (2016)
Aux Ptits Soins (2015)
Willie Mullins is 0-3, 2 places:
Gaelic Warrior – 2nd in the Fred Winter (2022)
Ciel De Neige – 3rd in the Fred Winter (2019)
Still, with money behind him, Kopeck De Mee is a horse to watch.
Friday Racing
Exeter
The Listed Mares' Chase (3:00) is Exeter’s feature, but the race that catches my eye is the Devon National Handicap Chase (3:30), a gruelling 3m 6½f test.
Devon National Handicap Chase (3:30)
Neo King steps up in trip for just his second start over fences. He ran an encouraging third (6¾ lengths) over 3m here last month and should be open to improvement. Stamina is a question, but if the ground isn’t too deep, he can go close.
Gold Clermont won two staying handicaps last season and finished fourth in the Eider Chase at Newcastle. She bounced back in first-time cheekpieces last time, finishing third at Bangor (3¼ lengths) 14 days ago. Back to her last winning mark, with soft ground in her favour, she looks a strong contender.
If you’re after my weekend picks, you can find them here.
I’m not sure if I’ll have a Saturday column, but if not, I’ll be back Monday to recap the weekend’s action.
Good luck with your Friday bets.
John